Why Joplin is my go-to note-taking app

I have a specific set of requirements for a note-taking app: Markdown support, sync across devices, end-to-end encryption, and no vendor lock-in. Joplin checks all of them and it is free.

What Joplin does

Joplin is an open-source note-taking application that supports Markdown, notebooks, tags, and attachments. It runs on desktop (Linux, macOS, Windows) and mobile (iOS, Android). Notes sync between devices using your choice of cloud storage: Dropbox, OneDrive, Nextcloud, WebDAV, or Joplin Cloud.

The key differentiator: your notes are stored as Markdown files and the sync is end-to-end encrypted. Even if you use a cloud provider for sync, they cannot read your notes.

Why not Notion or Obsidian?

Notion stores your data on their servers in a proprietary format. If Notion shuts down or changes their pricing, exporting is messy. Joplin notes are Markdown files that work anywhere.

Obsidian is excellent (I have written about it) but it handles sync differently. The free sync options (iCloud, Syncthing) have rough edges, and Obsidian Sync costs $8/month. Joplin syncs for free through any WebDAV server, including self-hosted Nextcloud.

For me, Joplin wins because of the combination of free sync, end-to-end encryption, and mobile apps that actually work well.

How I organize notes

I use a simple notebook structure:

• Daily for work journal entries
• Projects for active project documentation
• Reference for how-to guides and technical notes
• Ideas for things I want to explore later

Within each notebook, I use tags liberally. A note about a PostgreSQL optimization might be in the Projects notebook but tagged with postgres, performance, and the project name.

The web clipper

Joplin's browser extension clips web pages as Markdown directly into your notebooks. I use this constantly for saving documentation, Stack Overflow answers, and articles I want to reference later. The clipped content is searchable alongside your notes.

Sync with Nextcloud

Since I self-host Nextcloud, sync was a one-time setup:

1. In Joplin settings, select WebDAV as the sync target
2. Enter your Nextcloud WebDAV URL (https://your-nextcloud/remote.php/dav/files/username/Joplin)
3. Enter credentials
4. Enable end-to-end encryption

Notes sync automatically on all devices. The encrypted data sits in a folder on my Nextcloud, backed up by my normal backup routines.

The mobile experience

Joplin's mobile apps are functional and reliable. They are not as polished as Notion's app, but they handle the core tasks well: quick notes, search, checkbox lists, and viewing reference material. The sync is fast and I have never lost data.

Plugins

Joplin supports plugins that extend its functionality. The ones I use:

• Note Tabs for keeping multiple notes open
• Quick Links for faster note linking
• Kanban for turning notes into a simple task board

The plugin ecosystem is smaller than Obsidian's but growing steadily.

The bottom line

Joplin is not the prettiest note-taking app and it does not have the collaboration features of Notion. What it gives you is a reliable, encrypted, synced, Markdown-based system that you control. For personal notes and technical documentation, that is exactly what I need.

Sources

• Joplin
• Joplin on GitHub